Getting Rid Of An Ant Infestation In Your Kittitas County Home

Ants have a unique ability to annoy people. They are so good at annoying us that ants are the number one pest U.S. residents contact pest control to handle. So, it isn't surprising that Kittitas County pest control deals with ants more than any other pests in our region. What that means is this. We have a lot of experience dealing with ants! We share our experience by offering effective ant control solutions and by providing ant control for homeowners, and also by sharing ant management and prevention tips here in our blog. Do you have questions about how to keep ants away or how to get rid of ants in your home? We have some great ant prevention tips to share with you today. We'll also cover what works best to get rid of ants in Kittitas County. Read on and enjoy! 

The Role Ants Play In Our Ecosystem

Ants are important to the ecosystem of the world. They provide a food source for other animals. They help aerate the soil. They help break things down and turn them into fertilizer. They assist with pollination and many other natural systems. An ant does this by doing what comes naturally to them.

Pest control begins with understanding how pests behave naturally. If you want to control ants, you need to get into the mind of an ant. It isn't a very big mind so there isn't much to cover. 

Ants are amazing creatures that have complex behavior patterns for such simple organisms. If you understand these patterns, you can get them out and keep them out. Here are a few patterns to consider.

• Pheromones are how ants communicate with each other. Ants smell these pheromones and respond to different smells in unique ways. A trail pheromone left by an ant worker on the way back to the nest tells other workers where food was found. Death pheromones tell ant undertakers where to collect ants that have died. They do this to keep contaminated ants away from the colony. If you clean pheromones up, you can deter ants from following trails to come into your home and collect food, or prevent worker ants from entering your home in large numbers to collect deceased ants. In both cases, you stop large numbers of ants from appearing indoors.
• Grooming helps ants check each other for harmful materials. Have you ever watched ants walk up to each other and wiggle their antennae? They're checking for anything harmful. Ants use this behavior to avoid ant control materials. Control materials that are undetectable work best with ants.
• Ants are drawn to the scent of organic matter. Unsanitary environments and decaying food sources are sure to attract certain ant species. When you keep things clean, you naturally deter all ants from entering your home. Keeping your home clean can also drive certain ants out.
• Ants eat nectar and honeydew. These natural food sources are a strong motivator. Nectar in flowering weeds can draw ants into your yard. Honeydew deposited on your landscape plants by aphids can make ants establish nests near your foundation. You can deter this natural encroachment by addressing lawn weeds and aphid problems.

Do you see how it works? There are many ways to apply natural methods for outdoor ant control. When you do, you will not only naturally deter ant activity, you'll prevent ant problems in your home naturally.     

An Ant Infestation Can Cause Many Problems In Your Home

How bad are ants? It depends on the ant species and certain circumstances. Let's quickly look at a few that are of the greatest importance.

• Ants spread germs. If ants have access to unsanitary conditions, they can pick up harmful organisms and move them from dirty places to locations you assume are sanitized. So, not only will sanitation deter ants, it can help reduce ant-related illness.
• Ants damage wood. It is not good to have black carpenter ants in your home. These ants can tunnel in structural wood. You can significantly deter them by removing the primary food sources that typically lead to infestations—namely, the honeydew produced by aphids. You can further deter them by addressing rotted wood, as softwood is targeted first.
• Ants get into powerboxes and outlets. In these locations, they can cause electrical issues and present a fire hazard. They often infest powerboxes and outlets when they find pathways to higher spots on exteriors. When you trim branches, bushes, and other vegetation away from your exterior walls, you can naturally prevent ant problems like this.
• Ants are mostly a nuisance and they become a nuisance because they find food sources inside. You can deter them by keeping your home clean and protecting your food in sealed containers.

Now that we've touched on the problems ants cause and why they cause these problems, let's drill a little deeper. The more you understand, the greater your chances are of keeping ants out.   

How And Why Ants Find Their Way Into Your Home

The reasons ants get into your home are not always connected to the problems they cause. We looked at how sanitation, wood repair, aphid control, trimming vegetation, and sealing food in containers work to prevent problems. That is a good foundation. But it is only a foundation. Here is the bigger picture.

• Ants typically invade homes because they are allowed to live in the yard. Indoor ant control begins with addressing ant activity in your yard. You can take steps to deter ants, such as addressing weeds and aphids or cleaning your exterior trash receptacles. Sanitation, yard work, and lawn care have a big impact on ants. One way to deter ants that has nothing to do with what we've discussed so far is to reduce insect activity. Ants eat insects. Reduce the number of insects in your yard to indirectly reduce ant populations. An effective way to reduce insects is to install exterior bulbs that are motion sensitive. Your exterior lights attract insects. It is best to keep them off when you're not using them.
• When ants explore your yard, they can't help but get inside. In nature, ants hide under tree bark, so it only makes sense to hide under your siding. In nature, ants hide in the gaps and cracks between rocks, so it only makes sense to enter foundation cracks. Use caulk, expanding foam, or mortar to seal potential entry points and keep ants out. Take the time to also replace screens, weatherstripping, and door sweeps where needed.
• Ants know that damp areas provide water to drink. Landscaping that is moist will attract them. Dry landscaping is a deterrent. Give your plants only the water needed for healthy growth, and water your plants in the morning so the sun can evaporate any moisture on your plants. Along with this, make sure your gutters are clean. A dry perimeter is resistant to a long list of pests—not just ants.

Are you starting to see a picture form? The work you do in your yard, and the cleaning you do inside your home, work to keep ants out. The maintenance you perform on your home is not only great for weather-proofing your exterior, but for pest-proofing it as well. When you apply ongoing pressure to keep your home well-maintained, you naturally prevent ant problems. It takes work, but if you're up to the challenge, your hard work will provide long-lasting, all-natural pest control.   

The Trick To Total Ant Control For Your Home

Life gets busy. It is easy to let things go, like raking leaves, cleaning gutters, and patching entry points. If you want total ant control, a year-round pest control service plan is the best option. Not only does your service provider have the training and experience to provide you with appropriate treatments in every season of the year, but they are also faithful to do the job. You don't have to spend all of your time thinking about home maintenance and sanitation when you have the support of a licensed pest management professional. Your professional will apply spot treatments to reduce pest activity in your yard, baits and mound treatments to target certain ants, liquid barrier treatments to keep ants and other pests out, and indoor treatments to control and repel pests if needed. All these provide layers of pest control to address common pests and give you coverage for ants.

Are you in Kittitas County? If so, contact Prosite to get started with a year-round pest control service plan. You don't have to wait until ants are driving you nuts—or worse. You can get protection from ant problems right now. Reach out to us by hopping over to our contact page and telling us about your ant control problem. Or, you can just give us a call. The service team here at Prosite looks forward to helping you find an effective and long-lasting solution for all of your pest concerns. We're here to help.